Hundreds of wellwishers greeted American President Barack Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron as they arrived at a primary school in Newport this morning.

A 22-car convoy carrying the two leaders swept into the Newport school at around 9.40am this morning and the pair stayed for around half an hour meeting with school children.

Mr Obama’s car was adorned with an American and Welsh flag, and he greeted the smiling youngsters of Mount Pleasant Primary School in Welsh saying "bore da" - "good morning" - and then listened to a welcome message, thanking him for being the first serving US president to visit Wales.

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The two world leaders made the visit to Mount Pleasant primary in Rogerstone before joining delegates for the official start of the two-day Nato Summit.

The road along Ruskin Avenue, which is usually busy with parents dropping their youngsters off, was faced by the sight of scores of police officers and the presidential convoy pulling up at the school gates.

Members of the public and members of the media had started gathering outside the school from just before 6am in a bid to catch a glimpse of the visitors.

Parents had to get the children to school before 8.30am and had to go through a metal detector before starting their second day of the academic year.

Children at the 230-pupil school are among youngsters from across Wales who have written postcards to leaders attending the summit, telling them what they would like to see changed in the world by the time they are adults.

Their messages of hope for the future will be presented to Nato leaders at the summit.

Army reservist Lieutenant Rachel Broughton, 28, of Tenby, spoke to year five and six pupils about the summit and how Nato encourages co-operation between different nations.

When a smiling Mr Obama walked into a Year 6 class speaking Welsh, the pupils' nervous chatter turned to delighted smiles.

After listening to a question-and-answer session about Nato, Mr Obama and Mr Cameron were ushered into the school hall to inspect youngsters' artworks.

Sitting down at a low-level children's table, perched in front of a classroom display about adventurers such as US astronaut Neil Armstrong, they chatted with youngsters about their drawings of the summit venue, the Celtic Manor.

At the school, they sat with some of the children and had their pictures taken in a classroom.

After, the Prime Minister tweeted that he had "enjoyed" meeting the schoolchildren.

It is fair to assume staff at Mount Pleasant Primary School were not anticipating a visit from US President Barack Obama.

Deputy headteacher Andrew Rothwell said the day would be one staff and pupils would never forget.

"It's been a real pleasure to host Barack Obama and David Cameron," he said. "As you can see, the children have not stopped smiling.

"It's given them a tremendous sense of pride.

"We feel incredibly lucky to have been chosen for the visit. It's quite funny how it came about because in July we tweeted a picture to Nato's account with a drawing the children had done of the Nato logo asking for a VIP visit.

"We then later formally applied to host a Nato-themed event at our school, but had no idea as to what it would be.

"I don't know if the tweet helped or not, but when we found out that the visit would involve the US President and the Prime Minister everyone was gobsmacked."

After speaking with schoolchildren for around 40 minutes, the two leaders left in their respective convoys - to more flag-waving and loud cheers.

They left their signature at the school:

Some onlookers had brought ladders while others stood on walls or even on the back of bikes to try to get the best view.

Local resident Sally Pyrah-Barnes, 47, said the day felt like a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience.

"It's good Barack Obama took time out from the summit to acknowledge the local city and the local kids," she said.

Among the crowds gathered outside was college student Jay Singh, 16.

He said: "It's pretty surreal, Barack Obama being in Rogerstone. It's great that he's come here and shows Newport has plenty to offer and it's not just about Cardiff.

Local councillor Chris Evans, also in the crowd outside the school gates, added it had given the area a big boost.

"It has brought the whole community together," he said. "It's especially good after the recent bad news we've had with 600 job cuts at a bakery firm."

And grandparents Chris and Bronwen Green, both 67, were pleased the president would be addressing the ongoing situation in Ukraine.

Mr Green - waving a flag with the Welsh Dragon, Star Spangled banner and the black, white and blue of Estonia, said: "Our son lives out in Tallin in Estonia - which is only a 120 miles away from Russian tanks. It's understandable people there ate getting quite concerned."

Mrs Green added: "We both like Obama. He seems to have his finger on the pulse."

Based in Rogerstone, on the outskirts of Newport, the school is relatively small and had only 234 pupils on roll last year.

Following its last inspection in March 2013, education watchdog Estyn declared Mount Pleasant’s current performance “good”, though prospects for improvement were considered “excellent”.